Carelessness is Dangerous

Cora
Williams

Carelessness
is Dangerous

For
as long as I can remember, driving has meant freedom to me. Getting
my driver’s license was a huge milestone that meant more
independence and being able to go wherever I wanted whenever I
wanted. However when I was 16 and I began to learn to drive, I
realized how scary it can be. During my drivers ed classes
they showed us videos of people who had crashed due to careless
driving, or simply not because the driver’s attention had slipped
for a moment. I had never thought about how my actions could result
in the injury or death of someone else. Suddenly I realized that
getting my license was a huge responsibility. A mistake on my part
could mean someone loses their life. I realized how easy it is to
slip up and how dangerous the consequences can be. I had a nonchalant
view on the dangers of driving because my dad has always been a very
careless driver. I would see him texting and driving, looking away
from the road, and generally being unsafe. Growing up and seeing his
behavior normalized it for me, so I had not really thought about it,
but after seeing videos and first hand accounts of people who had
been in texting related car accidents I realized how severe it was. I
felt unsafe with my father’s behavior and realized I had to make a
change. I began asking him to give me his phone whenever we would get
in the car together so I could keep him from texting and driving. I
also decided to put my phone inside the center console whenever I am
driving so that I cannot reach it and I won’t be tempted to look at
it, even just to change the song. When my friends are driving I ask
for their phones so that if they need anything, I can do it and they
will not have to look away from the road. Texting and driving is an
epidemic, especially among young people. Many teenagers think that
just looking away for a second or using a phone to control the music
is okay. However these mistakes can have enormous consequences. This
is why I believe we should talk more about texting and driving in
drivers ed classes. The videos and interviews I saw were a
large part of the reason I decided to make a change and try to be
safer. By covering these topics more, I think more teenagers will
realize the danger in their behavior and start driving safer and
smarter.